The British Labour Party Conference

Published:PravdaNo. 30, February 6, 1913.

      Published according to thePravdatext.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,[1975],

      Moscow,Volume 18,

      pages547-548.Translated:Stepan ApresyanTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2004).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

TheThirteenth Conference of the British Labour Party was held in
London from January 29 to 31 (new style). It was attended by 500 delegates.

TheConference passed a resolution against war, and by a considerable
majority passed another resolution calling on the Party’s representatives
in Parliament to vote against any electoral reform Bill that does not
extend the franchise to women.

TheBritish Labour Party, which existsside by sidewith the
opportunist Independent Labour Party and the Social-Democratic British
Socialist Party, is something in the nature of abroad labour
party. It is a compromise between a socialist party and non-socialist
trade unions.

Thiscompromise resulted from the peculiarities of British history and
the segregation of the labouraristocracyin non-socialist,
liberal trade unions. These unions have begun to turn towards socialism,
and this gives rise to a host of intermediate, confused situations.

OnParty discipline, for example, a resolution was adopted threatening
expulsion from the Party for violation of the decisions of the Party or of
theParliamentary group.

Disputesarose that would be impossible in any other country—as to
whether this resolution is directed against the Liberals or against the
Socialists?

Thefact is that out of forty Labour M.P.s, 27 arenon-Socialists!! In opposing the resolution, the Socialist Will
Thorne said they wanted totie the handsof the thirteen
Socialists by subordinating them to thenon-Socialists.  Even
Bruce Glasier, of the I.L.P., while supporting theresolution, admitted that there are abouthail a dozenLabour
M.P.s whose place is among the Conservatives.

Theresolution was carried.

Aresolution that not only the posters of the opportunistDaily
Herald[1]be displayed in Party premises was defeated by 643,000
votes to 398,000. The voting here is calculated according to the number of
members which each delegation represents.

Themajority at the Conference consisted of non-Socialists and
extremely bad Socialists. But definite voices were heard indicating that
the mass of the workers are dissatisfied with such a party and they demand
that their M.P.s should do less playing at legislation and more socialist
propaganda.

[1]Aline seems to be missing in this passage inPravda. The
draft resolution analysed by Lenin proposed hanging up posters ofThe
Daily Heraldas well as ofThe Daily Citizen, which was in
the hands of opportunists, on the premises occupied by Party organisations.

TheDaily Heraldwas founded in April 1912 by George Lansbury
as a Left-wing Labour newspaper. In 1922 it became the organ of the British
Labour Party.